Assignments

Assessed Essays

Shorter assessed essays (worth 20% or less of a particular module) are typically written over a fairly short timescale, often at a point when students are only part of the way through a module. For these essays markers consider your work an initial attempt at a question or topic, which could subsequently, with more work, be developed into a more sophisticated treatment. These essays may also contain arguments that you may wish to develop in the essays later in the year either in longer assignments or examinations.

The standards by which we mark longer assessed essays are those appropriate to a piece of work to which you have decided to devote a considerable amount of time and attention. That is to say, we expect assessed essays to show evidence of more reading, better knowledge of the subject matter, and further, more detailed reflection on the issues than is the case with shorter essays. These essays typically have to go through quite a number of draft stages, with substantive further work having to go into each new stage, before they display the level of precision, depth and structure that we look for in marking them. They may be based on the same topic area as your shorter assignment, but should not be a response to the same essay title.

Deadlines for Assessed Work

The easiest way to find the deadlines for your assessed work is to look on the Assignments tab under your Student Profile to TabulaLink opens in a new window. However, a full list of essay deadlines is also available on the modules page of the Philosophy website. All assessed work should be submitted electronically to TabulaLink opens in a new window. No hard copies of essays are required.

Students must take great care when submitting their assessed work to Tabula to ensure that the correct essay is submitted to the correct form. Students are permitted to resubmit through Tabula should they make a mistake only until the time of the deadline. No allowances will be made for any errors made with electronic submission for assessed work including upload of an incorrect file or instances where a file has become corrupt in the process of uploading. If errors are discovered after the deadline, and work needs to be resubmitted, unless extenuating circumstances not related to errors made during submission are presented, late penalties will apply. Work that has been re-submitted following the earlier submission of an incorrect draft or a corrupt file will incur a penalty of 5 marks per day from the original deadline or have its mark capped at 40% (whichever is the higher). Please plan appropriately and do not leave the actual submission of your essays until the last minute. Once you have uploaded your essay we also strongly recommend you check the file you have uploaded in Tabula for any errors. Deadlines for Assessed Essays, like Examination timetables, are not negotiable.

If assessed work is submitted after the appropriate deadline but before the cut off date, then it will be accepted and marked, but the mark awarded will be subject (according to University Regulations) to a graded penalty of 5 marks on the percentage scale per day (or part day) if submitted late. A late piece of work that would have scored 65% had it been handed in on time would be awarded 60 if it were one day late, 55 if two days late etc.

In order that all assessed work can be marked in time for the relevant exam board, Tabula will close and not allow any new Philosophy submissions at 9am on Thursday 11th June 2026. After that date no further extensions can be granted even with extensive mitigating circumstances.

The closing date for assessments (excluding exams) due in the August/September assessment period is 9am on [TO BE CONFIRMED].

For take home exams, Tabula will close 1 week after the exam paper is released.

Formatting your Assessed Work

Essays submitted for Philosophy modules should follow the below style requirements:

Your Student ID number should appear as a header or a footer on each page. You should not include your name on the essay.
The work should be prepared on a word processor or typed and you must proof-read everything to eliminate errors.
Pages must be numbered consecutively.
There must be a full bibliography, laid out alphabetically, of books, articles and websites consulted and used. See the department's Advice on Referencing for further information. Although the department recommends the Harvard referencing style, you are permitted to use other referencing styles if you prefer. Further details about different referencing styles can be found here. What matters most is that you use a consistent, clear, and fully informative style of citation.
The word count should include quotations and in-text references or footnotes, but can exclude the bibliography at the end of your essay.
Essay assignments should be submitted in a .doc, .docx, or .pdf format. Video presentation assignments can be submitted in either .mov or .mp4 format.
Students are allowed a discretionary 10% extension of the word-length. If work submitted exceeds the published word limit (plus the discretionary 10%) markers will stop reading and mark the essay only up to that point, making your essay incomplete.

If you are completing an assessment for a module outside of the Philosophy Department (either as part of joint degree or as an outside option) you should comply with the style requirements as stipulated by that Department.

Extensions for Assessed Work

Details about how and where to apply for extensions is available here.

Marking Criteria and Feedback

Further information about Philosophy assessments including the Philosophy Department marking criteria is available to view here: https://warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/philosophy/intranets/undergraduate/exams_essays

Philosophy department essays are usually marked and returned to students within 20 working days (excluding weekends, bank holidays and University closures such as Christmas break). If marking is delayed students will normally be contacted. The above policy does not cover examinations or longer pieces of work such as dissertations or independent projects for which marks and feedback are not normally available until after the relevant exam board.